


I've Had the Time of my Life

by im_not_the_queen



Category: Dirty Dancing (1987), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 'cause if there's anything I don't have time for, Alternate Universe - Dirty Dancing Fusion, Astronaut Keith (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Classism, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Dancer Allura (Voltron), Dancer Lance (Voltron), Doctor Adam, Gay Keith (Voltron), I never have a beta reader, It's cis Pidge, M/M, Mild ones though, Military Shiro (Voltron), Not Beta Read, Period-Typical Racism, Rape/Non-con Elements, because if there's anything I don't have time for, how is that not a tag?, it's straight Keith, non-binary Pidge, position is open apply within
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_not_the_queen/pseuds/im_not_the_queen
Summary: It was the summer of 1965, when everyone started calling Keith 'Baby' and it didn't occur to him to mind. All Keith wanted to do was survive this pre-wedding vacation with his brother and his fiance, get back to finishing his degree so he could apply to NASA, and (somewhere in the middle there) do enough acid that he could see the universe expanding in fast-forward. He didn't account for all the things he began to want after he met Lance McClain, the dance instructor at the fancy resort Adam had brought them to.Dirty Dancing (1987) (minus the homophobia typical to the mid-60s because I didn't feel like writing it) starring Keith Kogane as Baby, Lance as Johnny, Allura as Penny, Adam and Shiro as Dr and General Houseman (Baby's guardians), Coran as Max Kellerman, Lotor as Neil, James Griffin as Robby, Hunk as Billy, and Pidge as themselves.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a few of these floating around but I hadn't come across a finished one, so I made it. If you want something done right, do it yourself, I guess. Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought! I tried to stick pretty close to the original movie plot but I always thought the ending of the film was a little weird so I made some... adjustments.

It was the summer of 1965, when everybody started to call Keith ‘Baby’, and it never occurred to him to mind. Baby was a good name, Keith thought. It was ironic- it didn’t have to mean that he was a child -though it _had_ originally been used to remind Keith that he was still quite young (thanks Adam)- it could mean that he was cool and gorgeous. It was before the Cuban Adjustment Act, the Beatles were flooding the airwaves, and all Keith wanted to do was finish his degree, pass his NASA physical, and (somewhere between those two) do enough acid that he could feel the blood moving through his veins in slow motion. 

They took a vacation that summer for the first time since Shiro had taken Keith in almost ten years ago. It was a celebratory trip, insisted upon by Adam, because he and Shiro were finally engaged and Adam finally had enough time off to take them to Kellerman’s, a resort owned by a wealthy friend from Adam’s university days. Keith hadn’t wanted to go, but Shiro had pleaded and guilted, and so he found himself in the back of his brother’s oldsmobile, trying to read and tune out Adam’s singing. Keith was a little jealous of his brother and his fiance, honestly, as he watched Shiro glance fondly over to Adam and wink. The other man blushed, wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and turned his attention back to the radio, flipping through stations to find another song he liked. Keith gave up on his book and directed his attention out the window to the massive stone building approaching on their left, sprawling lawns and the sea of crisply pressed polo shirts and shiny boat shoes awaiting them. When they pulled into the valet, Coran Kellerman himself was standing by, waiting to clap Shiro and Adam each on the shoulder (Shiro, as gingerly as possible) and welcome them to his resort. Behind him, hands shoved deep in his pockets, was a grinning man with a green headband tied around his dark hair and broad, comfortable shoulders. He smiled at Keith as he carefully removed himself from the car, the leather seats sticking to his thighs. 

“After all these years I finally got you up to my mountain!” Coran was saying, shaking Adam’s hand vigorously. 

“How’s the blood pressure, Coran?” Adam replied wryly. 

“Now, you boys know if it weren’t for Dr. Williamson, I’d be standing here dead!” Coran ignored the question, turning his attention to Keith and Shiro. 

“Hunk, get the bags!” he gestured impatiently at the tall man standing to his left, as though only just remembering he was there. 

“Right away, Doc,” Hunk replied cheerfully, and Adam tossed him the key for the trunk. Keith, not wanting to fall under Coran’s jovial shoulder slapping, followed. 

He pulled Adam and Shiro’s duffle bags out of the car and dropped them on the ground beside his own suitcase, carried by Hunk. 

“Hey, you’re a lot stronger than you look, kid!” Hunk laughed, and Keith shook his head with a smile. 

“Not all of us rich kids just sit on our asses eating bon-bons,” he said. 

Hunk laughed, not offended by the sharp bite of Keiths words at all, “You want a job here?” 

“You hiring?” Keith replied, lugging the bags over his shoulder and following down the path to their cabin. 

“I could use a sous-chef, but you’re probably too pricey for the budget,” Hunk replied, unlocking the cabin door and leading Keith inside. “I just cook for the staff, so they don’t give me extra dough for quails eggs and shit.” 

“That’s a travesty. Everyone should be allowed to eat quails eggs for breakfast. Where else are you supposed to get your protein?” Keith replied sarcastically. 

Hunk laughed again. “I like you, kid.” 

Keith smiled awkwardly, refraining from telling Hunk he was likely about three years older than him. 

“Keith! There’s a merengue class in the gazebo- we’re going, you should come!” Adam shouted from the porch. 

“Oh, you’ll want to go,” Hunk interrupted, catching a look at Keith’s skeptical expression. “The teacher is great- she used to be a rockette- and she’s my cousin.” 

“Well if she’s your cousin I guess she must be ok,” Keith teased, and Hunk beamed. 

And that’s how Keith found himself following the side-steps of a tall woman with a fluffy pile of silvery blonde hair, a swishing red skirt, and the longest legs he’d ever seen on a human woman. Keith might not have had much interest in women, but even he could admit that this one was unfairly attractive, and surprisingly, he found himself enjoying the class despite stepping on nearly everyone's feet. 

*****

Keith had to take a walk before dinner- Adam and Shiro were great, but they were sort of unbearably sweet to be around for long periods of time. He threw a brown corduroy jacket on over his tee-shirt and pants and wandered up to the main house to look around. As he passed by an open door, he could hear Coran’s voice booming from inside. 

“I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but I will, just in case you didn’t pick it up the first time. This is a family place! That means you keep your fingers out of the water, your hair out of the soup, and show the sons and daughters a goddamn good time! All of them! Even the dogs.”

There was a nervous chuckle from the group of college students in crisp white waiters uniforms, and Keith grimaced. 

“Shlep them out to the terrace, show them the stars,” Coran gestured wildly. “Romance them any way you want-”

“Got that, minions?” A playful voice echoed from behind the group, and Keith caught a glimpse of black sunglasses, leather jacket, and sharp bronze jawline between the bodies. The man speaking was tall, but he was still hidden by the tables and the crowd of heads and shoulders between Keith and the door through which he’d entered. 

“Hey, hold it!” Coran snapped, and Keith leaned further around the door, catching a glimpse of Hunk following the tall man with the low voice, whose lean figure and nonchalant slouch already looked a little too like Keith’s type for comfort. 

“If it isn’t the entertainment staff,” Coran laughed brightly, but Keith could detect a hint of scorn under the friendly chuckle. “You’ve got your own rules, wise-ass.” Coran’s voice was suddenly serious. “Dance with the kids, teach them to mambo, cha-cha, anything they pay for. But that’s it. That’s where it ends. No funny business, no conversations, and keep your hands off!” 

Coran marched off, but a snide voice piped up from one of the waiters. 

“Can you keep that straight, spic? What kind of pie you can stick your dirty fingers into around here?” 

Keith flinched, and both Hunk and the tall man whirled around. The tall bronze boy’s mouth quirked into a cruel smirk, and he pulled his sunglasses down, revealing the brightest blue eyes Keith had ever seen. 

“Bend over, Griffin, and I’ll show you just how dirty my fingers can be,” he replied in a purr. “Don’t be shy, you might like it.” 

Griffin made a rude gesture at the man, who just laughed and walked away on his ridiculously long legs. 

“You kiss your mother with that mouth? Disgusting,” Hunk spat as he followed. 

Keith backed away from the door, wondering how the hell he was going to survive here for the next month with those eyes and those legs wandering around, trying not to imagine anything about the latino boy’s fingers. 

*****

Dinner went relatively well, luckily their waiter seemed very nice- a young marine biology student named Pidge who was friends with Hunk. They gladly confided in Keith after the meal that most of the staff hated James Griffin when Keith revealed what he had overheard. 

“I promise nobody is going to give your brother’s guy a hard time,” they assured him. 

“It’s not him I’m worried about, exactly,” Keith told them.

Then Coran came around, just before the dancing started, and introduced them to his nephew, Lotor. He was handsome and charming, and Coran was very clearly trying to forage a connection between Keith and the clean-cut man. 

“Care to dance?” He asked, and Keith, not wanting to be rude, reluctantly let him lead him onto the floor. He was significantly taller than Keith, and much more graceful, but still stiff and upright in his movement, which made it hard for Keith to follow him. Keith spent the first few minutes they were dancing just concentrating on not stepping on his toes, and the rest forcing himself not to yawn. It wasn’t that Lotor wasn’t nice, he was, but he was terribly uninteresting, and the way he was almost leering down at Keith made the shorter man want to bolt. 

“So are you majoring in business?” Lotor asked, looking Keith up and down in his expensive suit. 

“Engineering, actually, and yourself? Business?” 

“Political Science and business double major,” Lotor revealed. 

“You must be very smart,” Keith complimented, and Lotor preened. 

“People often say that, but it just comes naturally to me,” Lotor told him, and Keith smiled stiffly. 

Just then, the doors burst open, and in walked Allura -the dance instructor from earlier- clad in a long pink dress and smiling prettily, followed by the boy Keith had seen Coran telling off, now wearing a tailored black suit and the same dangerous smirk. His eyes flickered over the room and landed briefly on Keith, who almost melted on the spot. Those eyes were blue fire. 

“Who are they?” he asked before he could stop himself. 

“Oh, those are the dance people,” Lotor sighed. “They’re here to keep the guests… happy.” 

Keith just nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the pair, the lean muscles cording in the man’s forearms, his smile dazzling as his feet kept an easy rhythm. 

“Having fun?” Adam asked as he and Shiro passed by. 

“Oh, yes.” Lotor nodded, “Unfortunately, I must excuse myself- I’ve got to go set up for games tonight,” Lotor said, drawing Keith’s attention away from the dancers. “Would you like to help?” 

“Oh I-” Keith looked over at Shiro guiltily. Shiro would love for Keith to leave on the arm of someone like Lotor- someone who guaranteed Keith a stable future, whose career plans weren’t a pipe-dream.

“Of course he’d like to help,” Shiro said now, before Keith could make an excuse and smiling at Lotor widely. 

And so Keith was tugged away by Lotor’s large, domineering hands. 

*****

By the time the night was over, Keith needed a joint more than he thought he’d ever needed one in his life. Not wanting to risk another rant from Adam about lung disease and illegal drug paraphernalia, Keith threw on his jacket and went off in search of somewhere he could smoke without disturbing the other wealthy, snobby guests. He wandered through the grounds until he came to a tall fence with a sign that read Staff Only. Keith ignored the sign, and carried on through the gate, lighting his joint as he walked. He was nearly finished the smoke when he heard the music spilling from a nearby building, and he stomped out the joint before following the sound up to a narrow staircase. It was so dark he almost didn’t see Hunk before he crashed into him, stopping just short of walking right into the big man, who was carrying four watermelons massive enough that even he was struggling. 

“Hi,” Keith called, and Hunk jumped, almost dropping the watermelons. 

“What are you doing here? Staff only!” Hunk insisted, but he looked pleased to see Keith. 

“I was taking a walk.”

“You should go back-”

“Let me help you,” Keith insisted, grabbing a watermelon out of Hunks arms. 

“No, go back to the playhouse- saw you wooing the local prince, Lotor,” Hunk teased, wiggling his eyebrows and swaying his hips suggestively. 

“Fine, have it your way,” Keith snapped, feeling somewhat ashamed that he had thought he might be welcome here. He handed the watermelon back and turned away, keeping his eyes on his feet. 

“Ugh. Wait! Come on. But you better keep this a secret!” Hunk grumbled. “Coran would kill me.”

Keith grinned, and took back the watermelon, following Hunk up the steps. 

The room he entered next was unlike anything Keith had ever seen. Boys and girls -and a cluster of androgenous looking people Keith didn’t want to assume any labels for- with their skin slicked in sweat and their hands everywhere, music pulsing through the room as if it were being pulled out from their pores and the snap of their hips. Sure, Keith had grown up around Shiro and Adam, but he’d never seen two men moving together the way the shirtless couple in front of his was dancing, one of them gracefully arching back, adam's apple exposed to the other’s teeth as their legs tangled and their hips rolled against each other. Keith followed Hunk across the floor, cut off from his path behind the large man only once, by a pair of women in tiny crop tops and high-waisted dance shorts, who were so close they’d practically become one person. 

“How’s that for fun, Baby?” Hunk laughed, and Keith was laughing too. Pidge flitted across the room, wriggling their shoulders a little awkwardly, but still much more gracefully than Keith thought he could manage. 

“Keith! What are you doing here? Did Hunk really hire you?”

“No I- I just wanted to get away from the smell of mothballs and ancient money,” Keith managed to joke. Pidge nodded sympathetically. 

“I hear you. The other waiters are all up at the house right now, trying to get recommendation letters from the old guys, but I’d rather be here, too. I’ve got my brains to recommend me!” They winked, wandering away into the crowd. 

Keith watched for another moment, holding the watermelon against his legs to give his arms a rest, and then a cheer rustled through the crowd from the couples closest to the door; the ‘dance people’ had just arrived. One of the shirtless men near the door grabbed hold of the dance instructor's tie and yanked it slowly out of his collar as Allura shimmied into the crowd, which parted for her, giving her and the blue-eyed man space to dance. They weren’t the closest couple on the floor by far, but they were so graceful, their movements so sharp and practiced, that Keith found them more enticing to watch than the others. The tall man leaned back into a group of people dancing closely together as Allura spun into the arms of a blonde girl, who almost dropped her, recovered with a laugh, and dipped her low. When the couple came upright to meet each other again, the man's shirt was nearly all the way unbuttoned, and Allura’s hair tie was gone, leaving her curls in a wave around her smiling face. 

“They look great together- your cousin and his girlfriend,” Keith said without thinking.

Hunk scoffed, and Keith looked over to see him wrinkling his nose uncomfortably. “Lance and Allura aren’t together- haven’t been since we were kids. They’re practically siblings at this point.” 

“Oh- sorry.” 

“Nothing to apologize for, man,” Hunk laughed.

Keith nodded slowly, watching as the song ended and Lance traded Allura off to a dark haired boy with an orange tee shirt, who hoisted her onto his shoulders easily. Lance grinned at them before making his way through the crowd towards Hunk. 

“Hunk, my friend, my cousin, my saviour, is that watermelon for us?”

“For breakfast, Lance!” Hunk insisted, and Lance pouted prettily. 

“Who’s this? And what’s he doing here?” He asked, noticing Keith. 

“Baby- this is Baby, he came with me- he’s with me,” Hunk grinned easily, and Lance frowned over at Keith, who’s mouth had gone dry. 

“I carried a watermelon,” he offered, then flinched, his entire body recoiling at the stupidity of the words. Lance shrugged and made his way back through the crowd to the water station, rolling up his sleeves as he went. 

“I carried a watermelon?” Keith hissed under his breath incredulously, burying his head in his hands. “Really?” 

“You ok here? I’m going to take these to the kitchen- Pidge’ll help,” Hunk asked, oblivious to Keith’s embarrassment. Keith just nodded, watching as Lance made his way back through the crowd carefully, eyes glittering. He watched Hunk struggling with the watermelons for a moment before walking away from the couple he was dancing with and joining them again. 

“Going to prep for tomorrow?” he asked, and Hunk nodded. 

“You going too?” Lance asked Keith, who could only shake his head. 

“You sure you’ll be ok for a bit?” Hunk asked again. 

“I’ll take care of him,” Lance interrupted before Keith could answer, smirking mischievously. 

Hunk flashed his cousin a warning glance, which Lance pointedly ignored, holding out one slender hand to Keith and crooking his finger. Keith spared one backwards glance at Hunk, who was trying not to laugh, and let Lance lead him onto the floor. 

“Put your weight into your pelvis and let your knees relax,” Lance instructed, pushing his shoulders down. Keith did as he was told, watching Lance’s posture carefully. 

“Eyes up here, Baby,” Lance drawled, his mouth wrapping around Keith’s nickname prettily, his slight accent drawing out the vowels just a little longer than most people did. Keith tried to keep his eyes on Lance’s, but they burned into him intensely, and he had to keep looking away in order to be able to focus on the movement Lance was guiding him through. 

“Good,” Lance said, biting his lower lip slightly and watching the roll of Keith’s hips, which was slowly smoothing into something that felt almost natural. “Keep your weight in the balls of your feet- forward, a little- here,” he reached out and wrapped one large, slender hand around Keith’s waist to steady him, effectively drawing him close against him, their legs slotted together and Lance’s curving motions slowing slightly to adjust as he took some of Keith’s weight. 

“There,” Lance nodded, “Don’t lift your heels off the ground, though, that’s how you get tendinitis and fuck up your knees.” 

Keith wasn’t sure if he should laugh or not, so he just raised an eyebrow at the taller boy, who flushed slightly, much to Keith’s satisfaction. 

“Now go the other way,” Lance instructed, pushing Keith back a little and placing both hands over the crests of his hips, guiding his movements confidently. Once Keith had got the hang of that, he pulled him back into a tighter embrace, guiding Keith’s arms up over his shoulders. 

“You’re a natural,” Lance laughed, dipping Keith back over one thigh and bringing him up again. Keith just laughed, shaking his head. 

“I had a good teacher.” 

Lance laughed, sweet and open mouthed, and guided Keith’s arms down from his shoulders as he leaned forward, forcing Keith to arch his back in the same motion he’d seen the two boys doing earlier by the door. Lance’s hands were on his shoulders now, pushing his jacket down his arms and wrapping it around his own waist, tying the arms in a knot and smirking at Keith as he pulled him upright. His fingers brushed back up to Keith’s collarbone, dancing over his biceps before throwing his arms back over his neck and pressing his hands into the muscles of Keith’s shoulders. 

“You’re in pretty good shape for a pampered doctor's son, kid.” 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Shiro and Adam are my brothers -well, brother and brother-in-law- first of all, and secondly, just cause Adam is rich doesn’t mean Shiro and I always were. I know how to work hard, _kid_.”

“It was a compliment, Baby, no need to get defensive,” Lance breathed, running his hand down Keith’s back, over his ass and onto his thigh. Keith melted into the touch, letting the music sink into his bones and focusing on Lance’s warm breath fluttering dangerously close to his neck. 

*****

The next evening, Keith watched Lance dancing with an older woman from afar (so differently than how he had danced with Keith the night before it was almost funny), frowning as his overheard bits of Coran’s conversation with Shiro, which made Lance’s job here sound a bit too close to glorified sex-work for his liking. Lotor appeared as his elbow, pulling him out for one dance before floating away to tell off Lance for Allura’s absence, and then insisting that Keith take him for a quick walk down to the lake. Keith kept his head turned away from Lotor, who was trailing his fingers through the long hair at the back of his neck. 

“I like the way your hair is shining in the moonlight tonight,” he murmured, and Keith choked back a laugh, trying to decide whether the line was cringy enough to warrant the bile rising in his throat or if it was just the nearness of Lotor and his heavy cologne. 

“I’m quite hungry,” Keith lied, “I might head back-”

Lotor grabbed his elbow, “Come with me.” 

He dragged him to the walk-in fridge in the main kitchens, not the ones Hunk used, Keith noticed, as there were several stations for sous-chefs, and the knife sets on the walls had names spelled out on them with tape, none of which Keith recognized. 

Lotor opened the fridge with gusto, and began reading off the different snack options inside. Keith tuned him out, focusing instead on a small sniffling noise from the corner. He peered carefully through the rolling rack, and saw Allura, sitting on the floor with puffy red eyes, blue chiffon dress bunched up around her legs. She was shaking violently. 

“Listen, Lotor, it sounds like the band is winding down- let’s go get in a slow dance while we can,” Keith said, wrapping his arm around Lotor’s waist shoulders and guiding the surprised man out of the kitchen, making sure he didn’t see Allura in the corner. 

“If you insist, Baby,” Lotor replied. 

They managed to get there just before the end of the last song, and Keith caught Hunk around the elbow in the hubbub of clapping and hugging that followed, losing Lotor in the crowd. 

“Allura’s in the kitchen- it looked like she was panicking- I wasn’t sure- Shiro- but I don’t know her so I thought-” 

“I’ll get Lance,” Hunk nodded, pulling Keith along behind him as he wove through the crowd. They raced to the kitchen, Lance barely sparing Keith a backwards glance, which sort of hurt, but Keith was too busy worrying about Allura to mind much. He’d seen Shiro’s panic attacks after he left the army, had held the older man in his arms for hours as he alternated between silent shaking and crying. It was too much for Adam, at first, but now they had their routine, and it had been a long time since Keith had had to talk Shiro down. Though he was almost used to it, it didn’t make it any easier to see someone else- especially someone as young and sweet-faced as Allura- in a similar state. 

“She wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?” Hunk asked as they rushed over the grass. 

Lance just groaned. 

“What’s wrong- what happened to her?” Keith asked, unable to keep his mouth shut. 

“She’s knocked up, Baby,” Hunk responded quickly. 

“Fuck,” Keith swore, jogging to catch up and shooting a look over at Lance, “What’s he going to do about it?” 

Lance whirled around, eyes blazing, “Oh, so it’s mine, right? You immediately assume it’s mine.” 

“No- I- I’m sorry,” Keith mumbled, and snapped his mouth shut. 

They burst through the door and Lance dropped to his knees beside Allura, pulling her into a hug, murmuring in a low, soothing voice. Keith turned away to give them some space, but fear clenched in his chest. Allura wouldn’t be able to hide the baby forever, and he doubted that either she or Lance could afford to take time off work. And as for an abortion… Keith wasn’t sure how much that would cost, but it wouldn’t be cheap, and Allura would still need to take a break after surgery- nevermind finding someone to _perform_ such a surgery. He clenched his fists, steeling himself as Lance pulled off his constricting suit jacket and lifted Allura up off the floor easily, ushering them out of the door. Keith picked up the jacket and followed. They ended up in the staff rec room, Hunk, Pidge, Allura and Lance sitting around a bottle of whiskey while Keith stood awkwardly by the door, still holding the jacket. 

“I know a doctor who’s traveling through this week- he can help.” 

“I’ll help you pay-”

“Forget it, Pidge, I’ve already said not taking _any_ of your salaries to pay for this.” 

“I’m going to beat the shit out of James Griffin,” tiny Pidge growled. 

Keith snarled unintentionally, “Can I get in there, too?” He asked when the others all looked at him. 

“There is a line of people waiting to deck that guy. Doesn’t mean he’ll pay up,” Hunk sighed. 

“Well if you tell him-” Keith began. 

Allura laughed derisively, “he _knows_.”

“What if I-”

“Go back to your playpen, Baby,” Allura replied in a slow breath, “I’m not your charity case.” 

Keith looked up at Lance for support, but got none, and slowly he backed out of the room. 

*****

“Adam-”

“This is impossible, Adam, how am I supposed to golf with one arm?” Shiro groaned. 

“I’m managing, come on, Shiro!” Adam called back, displaying the arm he had tucked behind his back. Shiro mimed throwing his prosthetic at him. 

“That’s completely different and also irrelevant!” Shiro snapped. 

Adam just cackled. 

“Adam!” Keith insisted. 

“Yes, Baby.” 

“I need to withdraw some money from my university fund,” Keith said, “but I can’t do that while we’re here, so can you loan me $250? I’ll pay you back.” 

“Shit, Baby, that’s a lot of money. What do you need all that for?” Adam asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“Someone… someone is in trouble -I can’t tell you why- but I need to help them.” 

Adam stared him down for a moment “It’s not illegal, is it?” 

Keith flinched, but held Adam’s gaze. “No, of course not.” 

Adam narrowed his eyes down at Keith, before nodding sharply. “Fine. But Baby, if you’re in trouble, you know you can talk to us, right?”

“I’m fine, Adam. Thank you,” Keith replied, squeezing the other man's arm briefly. 

Adam patted his shoulder, ruffled his hair, and turned back to Shiro. 

“Here, love, I’ll be your other arm,” he grinned, and Shiro groaned. 

*****

Keith slipped easily through the crowd that night, keeping his eyes peeled for Lance and trying not to let his gaze get caught on the movement of the other dancers too often. A few people tried to tug him into their embraces, but he smiled apologetically and walked on. He finally spotted Lance in the corner of the room, talking to Hunk. He was wearing jeans and a familiar looking jacket rather than his usual dress pants and button-down. As Keith approached, the taller boy turned around, and Keith saw that he was bare chested, the only thing covering his obliques and most of his chest from view was Keith’s corduroy jacket, which had the sleeves pushed up to hide the fact that they were too short. The jacket was long on Keith, but it fit Lance perfectly, and Keith almost choked as Lance’s pretty blue eyes met his. 

“Hey Baby,” Lance purred. 

“Hey,” Keith replied shakily, “Is Allura-”

“Right behind you,” Allura’s voice came from behind Keith’s head, and he turned to see her standing hand in hand with Pidge. 

“Here’s the money,” Keith said, once they were gathered around him in a cluster, handing Allura a wad of cash. 

“What- did James-” 

Keith shook his head, remembering his frankly disturbing conversation with James before breakfast that morning. 

“Some people count, and some people don't,” James had said. Keith had dumped orange juice down his front in retaliation.

“No you were right about him, but you said you needed it,” Keith told Allura now. 

“So you ran to daddy,” Lance said, words dripping from his mouth poisonously. 

“He’s my brother-in-law,” Keith snapped. 

“Baby I can’t take this,” Allura said, pushing the cash back at Keith. 

“What’s the matter with you, take the money,” Lance said incredulously, and a whispered argument ensued. 

“I could only get an appointment with a doctor on thursday. They do their act at the Sheldrake on thursday. They cancel, they lose their salary and next year's gig there,” Hunk explained over the hissing of the two instructors. 

“What’s the Sheldrake?”

“Another hotel. They do the mambo there every week,” Pidge explained.

Keith thought for a moment, “Well can’t someone fill in?” 

“No,” Lance sighed, turning back into the circle. “My sister Rachel usually would but she’s up in Canada right now, and Maria has to work all day, so she can’t learn the routines, so does Pidge, I can’t well lift Hunk, and besides, _everyone’s_ _working_. We all work, Baby.” 

Keith opened his mouth to assert that, once again, he actually _had_ worked, but shut it again at the look of despair on Allura’s face. 

“Why doesn’t Baby do it? They said they’re ok with you partnering a guy, right?” 

“I mean, yeah, but-”

“Baby’s got the moves-”

Keith spluttered, “I can’t even do the merengue!”

“Exactly!” Lance cried, blushing furiously. 

“You’ll be fine- Lance is a strong partner. Lance, come on, you can lead anybody, even me!” Pidge insisted. “Besides, it’ll give you an excuse to spend some _quality_ _time_ together.”

“Excuse you?”

“Sorry?” Keith and Lance both stared at Pidge, but then Keith remembered Lance was literally wearing his jacket and nothing else, and let his surprise morph into a smirk. 

“I think Lance has already been spending plenty of _quality_ time with my jacket, at least.” 

“Shut up, Baby,” Lance _growled_ , and Keith bit his lip to keep from jumping the taller man. 

“Come on, Lance, take him out for a little dance right now and if he still remembers what you taught him last time, at least you’ll know he’s a quick study,” Hunk said, shoving Keith towards Lance, who caught him as he stumbled directly into his bronze chest. 

Lance growled again, only this time, Keith was close enough to feel it. 

“Fine then. Come on, Baby, let’s see how good of a student you are.” And he dragged Keith out into the crowd, letting the slow swing of the song playing through the speakers guide them to a tight spot on the floor that was clear of other feet. They were pressed between other couples and a wall, but Lance slowly guided Keith around him until they had enough space, drawing him in tightly. Keith focused, trying to remember what he’d been told. He let his weight drop into his center, relaxing his knees and rolling his hips. Lance seemed almost impressed, but Keith wanted to see him how he’d been last night, with his blue eyes fiery and almost eclipsed by his dark pupils. Keith lifted his hands to Lance’s chest, pushing the shoulders of the jacket away until Lance’s torso was completely exposed, and his arms were being trapped below his ribs by the jacket stretching around his broad shoulders. Lance seemed surprised by Keith’s boldness, but he tugged his hips closer by his belt loops. Keith settled his weight into the balls of his feet, allowing himself to lean on Lance, and hooked his fingers behind the taller boy's neck. Lance tried to move his hands higher on Keith’s waist, but the jacket was restraining them, so he kept them awkwardly on Keith’s hips, not quite at his back, but not in front of him either. Keith rolled his eyes, leaning forward a little, and Lance’s hands slipped onto his ass. 

“Sorry-”

Keith fixed him with a look that he hoped said ‘I know what I’m doing’, and Lance’s face split into a grin, that beautiful half smirk Keith had noticed the first time he’d seen him. 

“Someone’s getting real confident already,” Lance murmured into the long hair behind Keith’s ear, and Keith shivered involuntarily. “This might just work out.” Lance continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some real mild smut here? Like realllly mild. I'm super guilty of the 'pan up and fade to black' shot that makes me mental in films when I'm writing.

And that’s how Keith found himself in the staff rec room the next morning, trying his hardest to ‘hear the damn two, Baby’. 

“Don’t lean back.”

“Relax.”

“Lift up.” 

Keith wasn’t tired physically, exactly. He was a runner, and he boxed too, lifted weights. But this seemed harder. This was mentally exhausting, too. Keith was spending every minute of every day dancing, and he was also learning a lot about Lance. Lance was from Cuba, he and his two sisters and two brothers had moved to the US in 1960, when he and his twin sister were just sixteen years old, to escape the volatile political climate. His parents were supposed to join them as soon as they could. 

“They’re stuck there now,” Lance said bitterly. “We can’t even visit. We can barely send mail.” 

“I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault.” 

Keith shrugged. 

“Frame!” Lance snapped, and they went back to dancing. 

Lance had a niece and nephew he adored, and he loved collecting terrible puns to tell them when he went to visit, which Keith made a note of. He asked Adam for a few to tell Lance that evening, much to Shiro’s distress. 

“This is my dance space!” Lance cried in exasperation the next morning. “This is your dance space! Lock your frame!” 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Have you considered it’s  _ you _ trying to get all up in  _ my _ space?” 

“Don’t test me, kid,” Lance growled. 

“I’m older than you!” Keith exclaimed. 

“What?” Lance wrinkled his brow. 

“I know I’m not that tall but damn, Lance, I’m a university student.”

“I thought… I thought you were going into university this year. I’m sorry,” Lance shook his head. 

“No, it’s not something to be sorry about,  _ kid _ ,” Keith laughed, and Lance let go, burying his head in his hands. 

“ _ Hold your frame, _ old man! How old are you, anyways?” 

“Twenty-three,” Keith grinned, holding his hands up. 

“You must be nearly done with your degree then,” Lance said. “What are you studying?”

“Engineering. And I’m working as a pilot, too. It’s probably going to take me an extra semester to finish, but I’ll only have to work one more year before I can apply to NASA.” 

“NASA?” Lance’s eyes were wide. 

Keith nodded shyly. People usually laughed when he told them he wanted to be an astronaut. They thought it sounded impossible- stupid, even. 

“That’s so fucking cool,” Lance gasped, and Keith felt a grin split his face. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” Lance breathed, staring down at Keith wistfully. “I wish I could do something like that.”

“Why can’t you- oh.” 

Lance smiled ruefully. “Being an illegal immigrant has certain drawbacks.” 

“No kidding.” 

By the beginning of the third day, Keith had grown accustomed to the feeling of Lance’s large hands on his hips, of holding onto his own space instead of being sucked into Lance’s like the Cuban boy had a magnetic pull to rival gravity itself. It started to pour rain that morning, but both boys were antsy, snapping at each-other and pacing the room like feral cats about to claw each other to bits. 

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Lance finally snapped, grabbing a leather jacket from a hook by the door and shoving Keith’s raincoat at him. 

He led the way across the wet grass to a black chevy that Keith figured was probably a ‘55 to ‘57, and tugged on the handle. 

“Shit!” Lance spat, “Locked the keys in.”

“Well now what?” Keith asked, and Lance shook his head, pacing around. 

Keith looked around, and spotted a metal light in the ground nearby. “How much do you care about your back window?” he asked, and Lance just shook his head. 

“Not much, I guess?” Lance said slowly, and Keith walked over to the light, planting his sneaker clad foot firmly into it until it was loose enough to pull out of the ground. He lifted it to the window, looking to a gaping Lance for reassurance before slamming it through the window in two firm whacks. Lance’s mouth was hanging open as Keith unlocked the door and held it open for him. 

“Well, you’re getting wet, aren’t you?” Keith shrugged, and Lance’s jaw snapped shut, but his eyes were still wide. 

“Can I drive?” Keith asked. 

Lance nodded, slowly dropping into his seat. 

Keith dropped into his seat, too, turned the motor over and backed smoothly out and onto the road. After a few moments of silence, Lance started laughing. 

“What?” Keith asked as Lance pointed for him to turn down a narrow side-street leading away from town. 

“You’re wild!” Lance hooted. “Baby, you’re  _ wild _ !” His unabashed laughter filled the car, and Keith found himself laughing, too. 

*****

Keith wasn’t sure how he was carrying a conversation while balanced on a log over a rushing creek, doing the mambo, but he was asking questions, and actually managing to absorb the answers.

“How did you start teaching?”

“Well I’d learned a lot of dances in Cuba as a kid. We used to go out whenever we could and my family loves dancing, so all my siblings learned really young. When we moved here, I obviously didn’t really have any money to go to university, and jobs were scarce for all of us. None of us spoke great english and nobody wanted to hire us to do anything that actually paid enough to support five people because… well. Anyways, I got a job busing tables in this shitty little cafe, and I saw an advertisement looking for ballroom teachers. They just wanted to try you out, see what you knew, and if you were any good, it said they’d fill you in on all the rest.” 

Keith wobbled on the log, and Lance reached out to steady him. 

“So I went. I had no idea what any of the dances were actually called, but I knew most of them. They hired me on the spot, asked if there was anything I usually required to teach- I’d never taught before, I had no idea how to do it, but I said I always taught with an assistant and if they could afford to, I’d prefer they hire one. They said yes, so I asked Allura if she wanted in since she’d quit with the Rockettes, she said yes, and… Yeah.” Lance shrugged, “It turns out people seem to think I’m an ok teacher!” he finished with a laugh. 

Keith was too busy concentrating on not falling to filter his reply. “You’re pretty incredible, Lance.” 

Keith managed to look up in order to meet Lance’s gaze when he issued his apology for being so forward, but Lance was flushed pink and smiling in a shy way Keith had never seen before. Keith returned his gaze to his feet, grinning. 

*****

They were mostly splashing each other, really. Lance had already choreographed the overhead lift out of the dance. 

“It’s not… I mean, not that two men dancing together is exactly traditional anyways so it really shouldn’t matter, but it doesn’t look… as good. We’ll do something more athletic and like, Lindy-hop inspired. I just want to see if it’s possible.” 

“I could probably lift you,” Keith teased, flexing his arms. Lance rolled his eyes, but his gaze caught on Keith’s bare chest and his face flushed. 

“Another time,” Lance promised, reaching for Keith’s waist again. 

“Don’t break!” He shouted once Keith was up above his head, but Keith could feel his weight shifting back behind Lance’s body, and as hard as he tried to keep his abs tight and not let it pull him, after a moment, they were splashing into the water again. Keith could barely touch the bottom here, and he was subconsciously reaching for Lance through the cold, searching for his warmth and the security of being held up above the water. Lance caught him up easily, and for a moment, they were nose-to-nose. 

“Again,” Lance breathed, and Keith shook himself slightly.  _ Get a grip _ . 

Keith was terrified when the lights of the stage hit him, but he managed to remember to step on two and spot and hold his dance space, and Lance talked him through the rest of it. As he changed from his suit back into his jeans and white linen shirt on the way home, he could see Lance sneaking glances at him in the rearview mirror. He left the shirt unbuttoned and slid into the front seat. 

“You did good,” Lance said awkwardly. “You worked hard- I- thank you.” 

“When I saw those old people from Kellerman’s- oh man, I thought we were done for!” Keith exclaimed, grabbing Lance’s water bottle and taking a gulp. 

“Oh, man, me too!” Lance replied, huffing out a laugh. “You know, but, by the second turn you really had it. It’s normal to be nervous. You did good.” 

“I had a good teacher,” Keith replied, softly, putting his hand over Lance’s on the gearshift. Lance kept his eyes on the road, but he smiled. 

*****

Hunk was panting when he got to the car. 

“Pidge is with her but- Allura- she’s not doing so good I- please hurry.” 

Keith and Lance were out of the car and into Pidge and Allura’s cabin before Keith had really even processed what was happening. 

“The guy had a dirty knife and a folding table- she wouldn’t let us call the ambulance- we tried to get in and help we really tried!” Pidge sobbed into Lance’s shirt when the three of them burst through the door. Allura was laying on her bed, drenched in sweat and crying. Keith turned and whirled out of the room, sprinting back to the cabin, rehearsing what he was going to say to Adam in his head. Nothing could have prepared him for the look of disappointment on Adams' face when he realized how Keith had been spending the last few days. 

“You know we just want you to be happy, Baby, but… coming from someone who knows, things would be a lot easier if you picked someone like Lotor or… who was our waiter the other day- James- someone who you can depend on to provide for you, at least.”

“I can provide for myself!” Keith replied as they hurried along the path. 

“So could Shiro, before,” Adam snapped, “But things change, and you’re going into a dangerous profession, Baby,  _ you _ could change.” 

Keith flinched but stayed silent. 

Adam’s face paled when he saw Allura. 

“Everyone out,” he ordered, and the room cleared almost instantly. 

“Who is responsible for this girl?” Adam asked.

“I am,” Lance said quietly, stepping forward. “But I never would have let her see that guy if I knew he wasn’t-”

“I know, that hurts, we’re going to take care of that, ok?” Adam said gently as he felt around Allura’s abdomen. “Everyone else, out.” 

It was deadly silent on the front porch as they waited, but finally, after what felt like years, Adam emerged. 

“She’s going to be fine, she just needs rest right now. I’ll check in in the morning.” 

Hunk gasped in relief, “Dr. Williamson, thank you so much- really, there aren’t enough words to…” Hunk trailed off, shaking Adam’s hand vigorously. 

“Sir, Dr. Williamson.  _ Thank you _ ,” Lance said quietly. Adam glared at him, ignoring the proffered hand and grabbing Keith’s bicep, leading him away back to the cabin before he could protest. 

“Stay away from him, Baby.”

Keith started to stammer out a rebuttal, but Adam shook his head sharply. 

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow, but you’re not spending your time with people who let their partners get pregnant and then cut open by some con-man with a rusty knife. I don’t care how old you are- those are not your people.

“Oh, and who  _ are _ my people, Adam? Your rich old-boys-club friends’ sons?” Keith spat. “We’re not having this discussion now. Go to bed, please,” Adam sighed. 

“Everything alright?” Shiro called sleepily. 

“Everything’s fine, my love,” Adam replied, face softening instantly. Keith’s chest tightened. He thought he could live never seeing the stars again if he could find someone that made him look the way Adam looked when Shiro was around. Keith watched the older man's back as he headed down the hall into the bedroom, both relieved and annoyed that Adam thought it was his duty to dictate who Keith spent his time with. It was nice to be worried about, but Keith still felt anger bubbling up in his gut when he thought about the crestfallen look on Lance’s face as Adam brushed past him. 

*****

Keith could already tell he wouldn’t be sleeping that night. He waited for Shiro and Adam to stop murmuring to each other before cracking the window and slipping out into the cold night air. He was halfway to Lance’s cabin before he’d even realized where he was going. 

Lance was shirtless and messy when he opened the door, hair slightly damp and curling prettily over his forehead, loose grey cotton pants adorning his legs instead of jeans or dress pants. He was barefoot, and his face looked tired. 

“Can I come in?” Keith asked, and Lance nodded, gesturing for Keith to enter. 

“It’s not a great room- you’ve probably got a great room,” he said apologetically, clearing a pile of clothes off a chair so Keith could sit. 

“No- it’s a great room. It’s cosier than ours. More lived in,” Keith stammered. “It… reminds me of my dad's place, actually.” 

“Your dad?” Lance quirked an eyebrow. 

“He died when I was eight,” Keith explained. “He was a firefighter.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.” 

Lance paused, taking a deep breath before reaching for the record player. 

“No, leave it on,” Keith insisted, and Lance turned back to face him, eyes sad and cool for the first time since they had met. 

“Thank you,” he said, “for doing what you did I know- I know they don’t really approve of me- of you hanging out with the hired help and all that.” 

“It’s not like that-”

“It was really brave, and I’m very grateful,” Lance said firmly. 

“I’m sorry Adam treated you like that, if he’d known-”

“No, Baby, the way he saved Allura- God. I could never do something like that, that was amazing-”

Keith shook his head, “Lance, I know he made you feel small. I could see it. And I want you to know he never meant to assume the worst of you-”

“The reason people assume the worst of me is because usually they’re right,” Lance sighed. “I do what I have to do to survive, and it’s not always good and it’s not always pretty- and, and, I’m not educated like Dr. Williamson or smart and strong like you and your brother so-”

“Lance, Adam didn’t know anything about you- if he’d actually had a conversation with you, he’d never think that you got Allura in trouble, he’d see right away that you’re not like that-”

“I’m just some poor, illegal immigrant from Cuba, I understand if people treat me like one! I’m nothing special, I’m just… me. I’m just nothing.” 

Keith felt as though Lance had just slapped him. “Lance, you’re everything,” he blurted, then felt his face turn beet red. 

“ _ You _ are everything, Baby,” Lance snapped back, then laughed, one sharp, loud cackle that reverberated around the room. “Listen to us. We sound like a couple of scared teenagers. I like you, Baby, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you. You keep surprising me, I- I like that. A lot. But you’re way too good for me-” 

“Shut up!” Keith snapped, jumping to his feet and reaching for the turntable, adjusting the volume. 

Lance startled, eyes wide and shocked, shoulders stiffening at the harshness of the words. “Stop talking. Dance with me?” Keith continued, softening his tone. 

“What- here?” Lance stammered. 

“Yeah. Here.” 

Lance stood, hands in the pockets of his pants and making no move to pull Keith in to him as he had whenever they had danced before. Keith made his way cautiously towards him, spreading his hands over Lance’s lean brown torso, enjoying how his own pale skin stood out against Lance’s and how his hands dwarfed Lance’s slim waist. Keith was shorter, but Lance, despite his broad shoulders and long, graceful fingers, was just… smaller. Keith tangled his fingers in the soft hair at the back of Lance’s neck, and finally the other man moved, hooking a finger in Keith’s belt loop and pulling him close before dipping him back. Keith let his head drop, exposing his throat, and he felt Lance’s breath at the dip of his collarbones before he was being pulled upright again, settling his weight against Lance’s thigh as Lance swung him around with one arm like a vice around his waist. They rocked back and forth for a moment, Keith enjoying the view of Lance being the one dipped back and open in front of him, but also liking the way Lance’s strong hands were everywhere on his spine, trailing up his shoulder blades, pulling him closer, cupping his ass briefly, tangling in his hair. 

“Mullet,” Lance teased. 

“It’s not a mullet, asshole,” Keith replied, and Lance tilted his head back to laugh, so he leaned forwards and pressed his mouth to the taller boy's skin. Lance gasped, and it was Keith’s turn to laugh, letting it flutter against the soft skin of Lance’s throat before pressing kisses along his collarbone and up the other side of his neck. Lance’s breath hitched, and he stretched his neck to give Keith more room, but before Keith had a chance to properly react, he was being swung across Lance’s outside leg, Lance’s hand wrapped around his thigh and drawing it up into the crook of his hip. Keith shivered a little as he caught a glimpse of Lance’s eyes, back to blue fire, burning into Keith’s skin. Lance was finally relaxing under Keith’s touch, and though Keith understood from the start where this night was headed, he found himself tensing up with nerves as Lance’s gaze bore into him. 

“Relax,” Lance murmured. “It’s just me.” 

Keith nodded, forcing himself to relax into Lance’s grip as the taller boy set him upright. Needing a moment away from Lance’s intense gaze, Keith untangled himself and pressed his mouth to Lance’s shoulder, trailing his hands over the other boys back and walking around him, pressing a line of kisses down his spine. 

“We can stop whenever you want, ok?” Lance murmured as Keith slowly made his way around again and draped his arms around Lance’s neck. 

“I don’t want to,” Keith replied honestly, and Lance grinned, tugging Keith’s shirt from where it was tucked into his jeans and quickly unbuttoning it.

“Good.” He dipped Keith back again, the way he had the night they’d first met, and slid the shirt off Keith’s shoulders. When Keith came up from the dip, Lance’s mouth was there already, pressing into Keith’s insistently, but still gently- still shy, as though he wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to take. 

“As much as you want,” Keith muttered against Lance’s mouth mindlessly. Lance smiled against him. 

“You’re talking nonsense, Baby,” he whispered, pressing his lips to Keith’s eyebrow. 

“Sorry. Nevermind,” Keith laughed.

Lance groaned, moving both hands down Keith’s back and onto his ass, hauling him further into his embrace and crashing their mouths together again. 

“Christ, Baby you’re going to kill me,” he murmured, pulling away minutely to speak, and Keith took the opportunity to catch his breath before sliding his tongue smoothly into Lance’s warm mouth, tugging gently at his hair. Lance gasped, and Keith thought he could listen to that noise for the rest of his life. Lance pulled away, attaching his mouth to Keith’s throat and slowly sinking down his body, gliding his hands up his back as his lips worked their way down Keith’s torso. 

“Baby,” Lance asked, stopping at Keith’s waistband. Keith was gasping already, and he knew the other boy could easily see just how much he was enjoying this; he almost felt embarrassed, but the way Lance was looking at him, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth made him forget to feel anything except that he wanted this boy so badly it physically hurt. 

“Baby,” Lance said again, and Keith realized he was staring blankly. 

“Lance.” 

“Have you done this before?”

“What?” 

“Sex,” Lance said simply. 

“I- yes. But not for… not for a long time,” Keith admitted. “There’s- university is… busy. And I don’t really go out, and I don’t really like crowds of people anyways so I-”

“Stop,” Lance laughed gently. “I get it. Whatever you’re comfortable with, ok?”

Keith nodded slowly, enjoying Lance’s gentle kisses on his hips as the other boy undid his belt and tossed it aside. Keith tensed slightly, nerves reappearing, but Lance just continued running his hands over Keith’s back and his mouth over Keith's hips. Keith relaxed again, but just after he’d gotten comfortable, Lance swiftly tugged down the zipper on his jeans and took Keith down his throat in one fluid movement. Keith’s head snapped back in surprise, and Lance (wickedly) let him go completely to bite gently at his throat, pushing Keith down to sit on the bed and sinking back to his knees. 

“ _ I’m _ going to kill  _ you _ ?” Keith gasped, tangling his fingers in Lance’s hair. 

Lance pulled away, smirking. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to try and beat you to it, Baby.” 

*****

Keith woke up with Lance’s impossible long legs tangled in his own, his hand carding through Keith’s hair. 

“Morning Baby,” Lance mumbled as Keith opened his eyes and shifted against the bronze expanse of his chest. 

“Hi,” Keith whispered. 

Lance pressed a kiss to the top of his head and trailed his fingertips down Keith’s spine. Keith sighed involuntarily, and Lance immediately froze. 

“Sorry I- is this ok? Are you ok?” 

“I’m great,” Keith grinned, pulling himself up so that his nose was level with Lance’s and planting a quick kiss on the other boy's lips. “What time is it?” 

“Six,” Lance yawned, “Wanna go swimming?”

“In the lake? Isn’t there a class?”

“I’ll take you somewhere better,” Lance grinned. “And you won’t even have to put your clothes on to get there if you don’t want to- not that I’m not sure all the middle aged ladies in Allura’s class wouldn’t want to see your ass, it is fantastic- but this will be more private,” 

“I’m sold. I’m starting to think this might be a ploy to keep me naked for as long as possible, though.” 

Lance laughed, “Starting to think? Was I not clear enough about my intentions?” 

Keith smothered a laugh in Lance’s shoulder, bit the junction between his neck and collarbone gently, and rolled away, taking the sheet with him and revealing the full expanse of Lance’s perfect skin to the morning light. 

“I don’t think it’s me Allura’s students would be most interested in getting a look at,” Keith teased, running an appreciative gaze over Lance. The younger man’s smile stiffened, and he laughed harshly, sitting up and tugging on a pair of blue boxer shorts that had been abandoned at the end of the bed the previous night.

“Don’t bet on it, Baby,” he grinned, but it was slightly sour. Unsure what he had said wrong, but determined to fix it, Keith scrambled across the bed and pressed his hands into Lance’s chest, holding the other man’s back flush to him. Lance immediately relaxed into his embrace, letting out a shuddering breath. 

“What time will your brothers start to wonder where you are?” 

“I should sneak back in soon and get some fresh clothes, but I’m usually up at around seven thirty to go for a run. They won’t get up until nine,” Keith told him. “I’ll have to go for breakfast then.” 

“But I get you to myself until then?” Lance asked, and Keith tilted his head in surprise, unable to pull away and check Lance’s expression as the other boy and pressed his hands over Keiths and was running them down his own torso soothingly. 

“If you want,” Keith replied slowly. 

Lance snorted, “ _ If I want _ .” 

He let go of Keith’s hands and stood up, pulling Keith to his feet. “Come on, since we have more time than I thought, you’d better sneak back into your cabin and get some good hiking clothes on. I’m taking you somewhere special.” 

“Special?” Keith asked teasingly, but he was already halfway into his clothes and headed for the door. 

“Meet me back here when you’re ready to go!” Lance called. Keith sprinted back to the cabin, through the window, and yanked on a loose fitting Berkeley shirt, a fleece sweater he’d had since first year, and his red running shorts, before he was back out the window and sprinting the trail back to Lance’s cabin. 

“Ready to go?” Lance asked, pulling a blue fleece over his head. He turned around to grin dazzlingly at Keith, who froze under the weight of the other boy's gaze for a moment before nodding. 

“Good! Do you have pockets in that Ivy League sweater, or should I carry your breakfast wrap for you?” Lance asked, holding up two small packages of tin foil. Keith reached for one and tucked it into the zip pocket of his sweater quietly. 

“You sure don’t talk much, huh?” Lance said, voice teasing. Keith rolled his eyes. 

“I talk. It’s just early.” 

“And you’re distracted by my fantastic good looks,” Lance grinned, reaching for Keith’s hips and pulling him in for a kiss. 

“Let’s go, loverboy, you’re going to get distracted and we’ll never get to wherever it is you’re taking me,” Keith insisted. 

Lance laughed delightedly, and led the way around the side of the cabin and onto a little trail through the woods. They followed a bubbling creek through the pines until the trail began to climb, and the trees began to thin slightly, allowing warm sunlight to pour through like honey. Lance yanked off his fleece and tied it around his waist, and Keith pretended not to notice how his entire body reacted to the broad expanse of Lance’s shoulders under his tank top. 

“Holy shit,” Keith muttered, about half an hour later, when they reached the end of the trail. The path led to a waterfall, a great, roaring one, bursting from the pine trees far above them, and falling until the ground levelled out into a tree covered plateau about two-hundred meters below them. A rainbow spilled out from the spray, washing the rocks with color.   
"Best place on the property, but the guests aren’t allowed up here, for insurance reasons," Lance told him, watching the water spill over the side of the mountain, bouncing from rock to rock until it collected in a deep green pool. “Beautiful, right?”    
_ He _ was beautiful. Backlit from the sun, he seemed to glow. His cheeks were flushed from the exercise and his eyes were bright and happy. Keith wondered if anyone had ever told Lance he was beautiful. Nobody had ever said anything like that to Keith- not until Lance had, last night, with his hips flush against Keith’s and one strong hand gripping his thigh, the other stroking the line of Keiths jaw. 

“You’re beautiful,” Lance had murmured, eyes burning Keith’s mouth before he leaned down to kiss him. “You’re beautiful.” He’d chanted it like a prayer into the soft skin of Keith’s throat as Keith’s body pulled him in and molded to him. 

Keith opened his mouth to say it, but before he could, he noticed that Lance had abandoned his shoes, socks, and shirt, and was sprinting for the waterfall. 

"Lance! You’re insane!" He yelled. “You could be crushed!” But he needn't have worried, for Lance’s footing was sure, and he just stood at the edge of the falls, where the stream was less pressurized, letting the water flow over his body. Keith yanked off his socks and sneakers, dropped his fleece and his shirt, and walked in after Lance. When Keith appeared next to him under the stream of the waterfall, Lance practically squealed with delight.   
“I’m proud of you, trust-fund boy! So adventurous!” 

“I don’t have a trust fund!” Keith replied in frustration.    
Lance moved over a little to make room for him on the big rock he was standing on, and almost lost his footing. He wavered for a minute, hovering between safety and the deep pool under the falls, but Keith’s hands moved without his order, catching Lance around his waist and pulling him flush against him, steadying them both. Lance turned his head to look back at Keith, whose breath caught in his throat. He was  _ too _ beautiful now, with the water running over his tawny skin, his eyes sparkling in the light.    
“You’re beautiful,” Keith whispered against the shell of Lance’s ear, and Lance shivered against him, shoulders bowing to the curve of Keith’s body, breath punching out of his stomach. It was almost a pain reaction, but the taller boy was smiling. Keith was a little confused. 

“Come on, it’s really cold,” Keith coaxed, pulling Lance slowly and carefully out from the stream of water flowing over them. 

“We’re going to go up a little higher anyways,” Lance nodded, shoving his wet feet into his shoes and grabbing his clothes. Keith followed suit, and Lance led them to a narrow path that could hardly be called a path. When they reached the top, Keith gasped. There was a pool perched at the edge of the cliff that the waterfall was tumbling down, shallow and clear, but diveted enough into the rock that it would be difficult to be pulled over the edge. 

“Holy  _ shit _ !” Keith cried, and was rewarded with a hooting laugh from Lance who had pulled his shoes off again, and was unwrapping his breakfast wrap. 

“I know!” He cried, walking to sit at the edge of the pool with his feet dangling in the water. Keith followed, taking a bite of his wrap and groaning as the flavour of ham and egg filled his mouth, along with a solid dose of spices he couldn’t identify. 

“I was really hungry,” he admitted to Lance, settling beside him and dipping his feet into the water. It was warmer here, where it wasn’t moving so much, the sun already beating down. Lance nodded, looking out over the snowy mountaintops. They finished their breakfast, and Lance yanked off his shorts and boxers and plunged into the water, beckoning Keith after him. 

“Come on, Baby, I’ll teach you how to tango,” he laughed, and Keith rolled his eyes. He slid shyly out of his clothes, suddenly apprehensive about being exposed to Lance in such an open space, but Lance pulled him across the smooth pebbles lining the pool until they were both waist deep in the water. 

“It’s just four steps,” Lance explained. “Start with your right foot, three steps back -good- now one to the side, yes- no- don’t close your feet.” Lance instructed, and Keith managed to follow his guide, allowing him to tango them across the pool to where the rocky edge was smooth and higher. Lance pressed him against the rock, pushing Keith’s wrists into the stone on either side of his own head. Keith expected Lance to smother him with more demanding kisses, to touch him, but the taller boy simply leaned into him, burying his face in his neck. Keith allowed it, wriggling his hands free and guiding Lance’s to his hips. Time seemed to stand still, Lance’s breath tickling his neck, the smell of him -something like sweet tea and bergamot and lemon- washing over him. And then Lance lifted his head and his lips were back on Keith’s: warm, soft, and insistent.

“I should have done this the moment I saw you,” Keith laughed. “I knew you were going to be a problem.” 

“A problem?” Lance chuckled, nuzzling Keith’s nose with his own. 

“The biggest pain in my ass ever,” Keith confirmed. 


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast was awkward. Adam and Keith wouldn’t make eye contact, Shiro seemed oblivious, and Lotor spent the better part of an hour sitting at the table trying to convince Keith to join his act in the end of season show. 

“I really have no talents, Lotor,” Keith kept insisting. 

“Well I’ll need you for props at least,” Lotor said firmly, and swept off. 

“Sounds fun,” Shiro said, looking between Adam and Keith concernedly. 

“Yeah.” Keith cast his eyes back to his plate. 

As soon as the meal was over, Keith sprinted back to the staff quarters to check on Allura. She was laying in bed in a simple blue plaid robe, her long legs stretched elegantly out in front of her. 

“You just missed your brother,” she said, smiling, “He’s a wonderful man.” 

“He really is.” Keith nodded. “You look much better.” 

There was a loud knock on the door before Keith could answer, and Lance let himself in, wearing jeans and a red button down over his white tank top from that morning. He only spared a quick glance over at Keith. 

“Lance!” Allura sighed happily. 

“Hi, love, how are you doing?” Lance smiled. 

“I’m fine. Dr. Williamson says I’ll still be able to have children,” Allura grinned. 

Lance let out a short, relieved laugh, “God, ‘Lura, that’s amazing! That’s such good news.” 

“So how did it go last night?” Allura asked, looking between them. 

“Good.” Lance nodded. 

“Good… I… I was a bit stiff, and I forgot the first section, but Lance talked me through it,” Keith replied awkwardly. 

Allura looked between them again, her smile fading slightly. 

“I- I should go,” Keith said, backing away towards the door. He was only halfway through it when he heard Allura say, 

“What are you  _ doing _ , Lance? You always said not to get mixed up with them!” 

Lance groaned, and Keith hurried down the stairs, just catching his reply. 

“He’s different, ‘Lura. He’s… I don’t know. Worth it?” 

Keith’s breath caught in his throat, and he broke into a run, heading off into the woods and pulling out a joint. 

_ Worth it _ . Worth what? Lance wasn’t risking anything for Keith, really. 

Did Keith think  _ Lance _ was worth it? The answer was obvious, so Keith pulled out a second joint and thought about how the hell he was going to explain this one to Shiro. Not until the end of the week, he decided. Not until he was back and university and he and Lance were on a more balanced playing field as far as power dynamics. Not until Lance couldn’t lose his job over what they’d been doing. 

*****

Keith was helping Lotor paint sets for the show that afternoon, listening to some girl sing just enough off-key that it was giving him a headache. There were a group of men playing cards in the corner, one of whom Keith recognized as the husband of one of Lance’s  _ very _ regular female students. Lance himself was leaning against the piano nearby, marking off songs and names on a clipboard. Keith was trying his hardest not to stare at him. 

“Hi, Vivian,” one of the men at the card game said cheerfully, and Keith looked up to see the woman Lance taught making her way through the room towards the dancer. 

“Win big, Moe,” she said as she walked by her husband. “As always.” She walked right up to Lance and pulled a cigarette out of her purse, dangling it in front of him. Lance pulled out his lighter and lit it obligingly. 

“This is our last night together, darling,” she purred, “I’ve got something worked out for us.” 

Keith lifted his head to see her sweep away, back towards her husband, Lance’s gaze following her. He turned back towards Keith, who dropped his eyes to the palm tree he was painting. Keith stood up to get more paint from the supply table behind the card game, and Lance followed him towards the men, passing Vivian’s husband a pirate hat. 

“The pirate number is next, sir,” he said politely. 

“Right,” Moe replied gruffly, “Listen, kid, you know I play cards on the weekend, and I got an all night game tonight. Why don’t you give my wife some extra dance lessons to keep her busy.” The man pushed a bill shamelessly into Lance’s palm, and Keith flinched at the blatant display. 

Lance stared down at the bill for a moment. 

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m booked up the whole weekend with the show and everything, so I won’t have time for anything else, and I don’t think it would be fair to take the money.” 

Moe nodded, taking the bill, and Lance walked back to his seat. Keith smiled as he watched Vivian Pressman’s lip curl into a snarl. 

*****

It poured rain that evening, and Adam and Shiro headed to the main hall to play cards. 

“If you go anywhere, wear your boots, Baby. You don’t want to catch a cold,” Shiro ordered. Keith flipped him his middle finger.

“Sure, dad.” 

“Hey!” Shiro snapped, but he was smiling. The second they were out the door, Keith was hurrying over the wet grass to Lance’s cabin. 

“Lance?” He pounded on the door, shifting in his dripping raincoat. 

“Hey, Baby,” Lance replied, “come in- I’m just making coffee.” 

Keith let himself in the door, and shed his boots and coat while Lance bustled around the french press. When Lance finally turned towards him, his face was tight with guilt. 

“Baby,” he almost whispered, posture slumped, eyes cool. 

“You’re-” Keith broke off, unsure how to tell Lance that it was going to be ok. “Where- Lance...” 

Lance slumped against the counter, casting his eyes down to his feet. Keith crossed the kitchen slowly, tilting Lance’s chin up delicately. 

“You’re worth it,” Keith told him, before leaning in and kissing him as sweetly as he could, slowly coaxing his lips apart and cupping his face as gently as he could. Lance whimpered, and Keith’s chest tightened, so he pulled the other boy as close as he could. 

“You’re  _ worth it _ .” 

*****

The Shirelles were playing on the radio as Keith and Lance lay in Lance’s bed, listening to the rain pounding on the roof and catching their breath. 

“Have you… have you done this a lot?” Keith asked, unable to stop himself. Lance tensed under his hands. 

“What?”

“Slept with people? Guests, I mean?”

Lance groaned, “Baby, come on.”

“I just want to know,” Keith told him, propping himself up on his elbow. 

“No, no,” Lance grumbled, untangling himself from Keith’s arms and standing up, reaching for his jeans. “You- it’s- it’s such a… the atmosphere here- you come from the streets- or, or, you’ve been living with nothing for your entire life, and suddenly all these people are throwing themselves at you, and they smell good, and they take care of themselves. And they take care of you- I never knew it could be like that. I didn’t know women could be like that, let alone men! It’s illegal in Cuba, still, being gay. I’d never met someone who didn’t have a defined gender or was married to someone of the same gender before I came here. And I know a lot of the older people around here don’t agree with it but it’s not a death sentence. But still, even after we moved… before I got this job it was- it wasn’t like how it is here.” 

Keith stared at Lance as he paced the room, tucking the sheet around his hips as he rolled to watch the younger man. 

“And they’re so rich, so you think they must know everything. I get slipped a room key two or three times a day- different people. So I think I’m scoring big, right? Because I get taken care of by people that actually seem like… good. Not  _ good _ good but like, not… on your knees in an alleyway. Safe. And they… well. They paid me! And at first I thought I was scoring big, right? You think, hey, they wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t care, right? Especially the men- like, they wouldn’t be risking being caught out by their conservative, rich, backwards parents if it didn’t somehow matter-”

Keith swallowed his disappointment, “That’s ok, Lance, I understand. You’re… you’re using me and that’s-”

“No! Baby, not with you- God. It’s not like that with you, for me.  _ They _ were using  _ me _ ! And I learned to use back, but with you… it’s not like that for me with you.” 

Keith shook his head, leaning forward and catching Lance around the back of the neck, pulling him down on top of him. Lance wrapped a strong around his back and shifted so their legs were tangled, chests pressed together. He flicked his tongue over Keith’s lips and licked into his mouth delicately. Keith sighed, letting him do what he wanted. 

“What’s your real name, Baby?” Lance asked suddenly, pulling back a little. 

“Keith,” Keith said.

“That’s… that’s a good name. Real grown up,” Lance replied. “Keith.”

Keith just hummed his agreement and pulled Lance’s mouth back to his own, ignoring the flash of pain that crossed Lance’s face when he said Keith’s given name. 

*****

Keith was enjoying being the boss for once as they cha-cha-ed around the studio space the next morning. Lance was determinedly drawing him in by his hips, dropping his lips to Keith’s chest and stomach. 

“Hey- where’s my tension?” Keith teased, making his tone as authoritative as possible. “Spaghetti arms!” He cried, pulling Lance back up to position. “Where is my _pleasing_ _arc_?”

Lance groaned, dropping his arms completely and leaning forwards to bite at Keith’s throat. Keith dodged. 

“Will you give me some tension please!” Keith demanded, laughing as Lance reeled him in again, wrapping his hands around the back of Keith’s shoulders. 

“You’re invading my dance space! This is my dance space.” Keith pushed Lance away, gesturing mockingly. “This is yours.” 

Lance groaned, but obeyed for a moment, holding his tension properly for a few seconds before dropping back to a crouch, trying to ruck up Keith’s tee-shirt. 

“Eyes up here!” Keith ordered, tilting Lance’s chin up. “Eyes right here.” 

Lance growled and let go, spinning away before collapsing onto the floor on his stomach, pressing his forehead into the hardwood. Keith kept doing the cha-cha. He was playfully lipsinking the words to the song playing on the record player in Lance’s direction when Lance pulled himself to his knees and wrapped his arm around Keith’s waist, grabbing his thigh with his free hand. Keith leaned into a backbend, and Lance’s mouth was on him, kissing his way up Keith’s stomach, pulling his shirt up as he went. 

“Lance!” Footsteps on the stairs, and Lotor’s head popped up from the stairwell. Lance and Keith had already scrambled apart, Lance turning away to flip through his record deck while Keith continued to cha-cha. 

“Taking dance lessons, Baby?” Lotor asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Keith nodded, turning his back to the man. He flinched as large hands landed on his hips, and Lotor began guiding him around the room, breath hot on the back of his neck. 

“I could teach you, kid,” Lotor murmured, and Keith shied away. The record squealed, and Keith stopped. When he turned back to Lance, the Cuban boy's eyes were ice. 

“I wanted to talk to you about the last dance,” Lotor said to Lance, who eyed him cooly. “I was thinking, you always do the mambo. We should change it up, update it, move with the times-”

“I have some ideas!” Lance exclaimed, face lighting up, “I’ve been working with some of the staff on a group number- something with a little more beat, afro-cuban rhythms-”

Lotor laughed disdainfully, “Oh, no, you’re in over your head, darling. I was thinking, what if, instead of the mambo, this year, you did the pachanga.” Lotor looked over at Keith as if awaiting approval. Keith stared at him blankly. 

“The pachanga,” Lance repeated flatly. 

Lotor nodded. “Or we could just do the mambo, and find another dance instructor for next year who is more comfortable with the newer dances,” he continued, low voice smooth and threatening. 

“Sure,” Lance said. “Sure thing, Lotor. The pachanga sounds great.” 

Lotor grinned, walked over to Keith, who flinched away slightly, not wanting the bigger man to grab him again. 

“He’s a little… difficult to communicate with, but he doesn’t have to do much talking with the guests, so…” 

Keith stared in horror. 

“Make sure you get that full half hour you’re paying for, kid,” Lotor smiled, and swept out of the room. Lance’s back was tight, and he slammed the lid of the record player down violently. 

“Fuck.” 

*****

Keith and Lance shared a joint as they walked back to the staff area, taking a lesser known trail to avoid being spotted smoking by any other guests. 

“That guy wouldn’t know a new idea if it slapped his ass and called him ‘princess’,” Lance snarled, and Keith fought back a laugh at the image. “I could have given him new ideas- I  _ have _ new ideas!” 

“Then you should fight harder! Tell him,” Keith insisted, “He’s a slime-ball, but he’s a person, too, maybe he’ll listen if you just-”

“Fuck, Baby, no! I know these people. They’re rich, and they’re mean, and they’re never going to listen to a nobody like me.” 

“Lance…” 

“My brother Luis called today. ‘Good news’, he said. ‘I got you into the union’!” 

“What union?” Keith asked cautiously. 

“The house painters and plasterers 179, at your service,” Lance spat bitterly. “I was going to go to med school, Keith. That was my big dream when we moved to the States. Now I’m going to paint houses and suck off people like Lotor after mambo lessons just to pay for bread.” 

Keith opened his mouth to reply, but he heard Shiro's laugh echoing around the trail, and pulled Lance into the bushes. They watched as Adam, Shiro, and James Griffin sauntered by. Griffin was saying something about recent advances in heart transplant surgery, and Adam nodded appreciatively, patting the boy on the back as they walked by. 

Keith pulled a stone-faced Lance back onto the trail. 

“Fight harder, huh?” Lance said, looking down at Keith in disappointment. “I don’t see you fighting so hard- I don’t see you running up to big brother and telling him I’m your guy.” 

“I-” Keith broke off, unsure of what to say next. “I’m going to tell them I just-”

“I don’t believe you, Baby,” Lance snapped. “I don’t think that you ever had any intention of telling them.” And he stormed away, leaving Keith feeling hollow and deflated, like the helium balloons he’d helped Pidge to pop and throw away after dinner the first night. 

Keith turned and followed his brothers down the path. 

*****

Pidge had the afternoon off that day, so James Griffin served them lunch. Lotor and Coran were sitting with them, drinking wine and smoking cigars, and Lotor’s hand kept creeping into Keith’s lap. Keith was slowly shifting away, but he was going to end up sitting on Shiro soon if he didn’t stop. 

“You know when you see a patient, and you think they’re ok, but then you look at an x-ray, and it’s totally different than what you thought?” Coran sighed. 

“What happened, Coran?” Adam asked in concern. 

“That’s what it’s like when you find out one of your staff is a thief,” Coran frowned. 

“Moe Pressman’s wallet was stolen when he was playing pinochle yesterday,” Lotor elaborated, grinning in excitement at the scandalous news. “It was in his jacket, hanging on his chair. He had it at 1:30, but when he checked again at quarter to five, it was gone.”

“And then,” Coran continued, “Billy Bardson’s and Johnny Walter’s wallets go missing during their late evening game from the same room. They’d moved tables into the lounge, but left their jackets there.” 

“Vivian Pressman thinks she remembers Lance McLain- the dance guy- walking by while they were playing pinochle. He was the only non-guest she remembered coming near Moe. So we asked him, ‘Do you have an alibi for last night when Bardson and Walter were playing in the other room?’ and he says no,” Lotor explained.

“Says he was alone in his room, reading.” Coran took a sip of his drink and sighed. 

“Unlikely story,” Lotor smirked, “There are no  _ books _ in Lance’s room. He barely speaks English.” 

Shiro frowned, about to add something, but Keith jumped in. 

“That’s impossible, Lance couldn’t have done it-”

“There have been similar thefts at the Sheldrake.”

“I know he didn’t do it!” Keith insisted.

“Stay out of it, Baby, you don’t know what those people can be like,” Lotor sighed. 

“Hey! Don’t push those tables together!” Coran called, rushing across the room. Lotor stood and followed, pushing through guests to catch up. 

“Shiro, I know Lance didn’t steal those wallets,” Keith insisted. 

“How do you know that, Baby?” Shiro asked slowly. 

“Try this danish, Shiro,” Coran interrupted, re-appearing at Keith’s side, “Pure protein.” 

“Mr. Kellerman, look, maybe Lance didn’t steal those wallets- it could have been… what about the Schumachers, that old couple that’s always hanging around?” Keith blurted, staring up at Coran, who raised an eyebrow. 

“I saw her with a couple wallets once-” Keith said, remembering how he and Allura had helped the little old lady gather up a few billfolds she’d dropped on the doorstep a few days prior. 

“Syliva and Sydney?” Coran scoffed. 

“Baby, you can’t just start accusing innocent people,” Shiro scolded, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“I saw them at the Sheldrake, too! Didn’t you say something was stolen there?” 

“I have an eyewitness, and no alibi. Now, I need to go find Lotor. Show him how to fire an employee.” 

“No- I- Coran, listen. I know Lance didn’t take that wallet because he was in his room all night. With me,” Keith told him, casting his eyes down to avoid Adam’s disappointed glare. 

Coran stared at him for a moment, before nodding sharply and walking away. 

“Baby…” Shiro started. 

“He’s not bad- really- Adam, he’s not the one that got Allura in trouble! That was… James. James Griffin.”

Both Adam and Shiro made noises of disgust, shooting glances across the room towards the waiter. 

“You’re sure?” Shiro asked. “Adam and I were going to gift him his tuition at Stanford this year.” 

“Well don’t,” Keith spat. 

“So let me get this straight, Baby, you’ve been sneaking around behind our backs all week with a boy I specifically asked you to stay away from, lying to us, risking Lance’s employment here, but it’s all ok because he’s not the one who got Allura in trouble?” Adam said bluntly, tapping his fingers on the table. 

“That’s not-”

“Baby, you heard what Coran said to me, right? That’s… being, er,  _ kind _ to the guests is sort of… part of his job. Do you really think it’s a good idea to get attached?” Shiro asked. “Because you seem attached.” 

“I am!” Keith snapped, standing up abruptly. “And last time I checked, I was an adult, not your infant son, so I’m perfectly allowed to be  _ attached _ with whomever I want!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short one to wrap things up! I might add an epilogue at some point but idk. Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know, I love a good comment (or any feedback you might have)

Keith was waiting for Lance down by the lake, knowing he was teaching a class up at the gazebo and then probably speaking to Coran about the misunderstanding. He was watching the water when a large pair of hands fell heavily onto his waist. 

“Hey, Baby,” Lotor said quietly. 

Keith squirmed away. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” Lotor smiled, and tugged Keith’s wrist firmly, forcing him to run behind him. Keith was strong, but so was Lotor, and he was a lot bigger than Keith was. 

“I’m waiting for my brothers. Lotor, I don’t have time. Let go of me!” Keith’s protests went unacknowledged as Lotor led him through the rarely used path in the woods. Keith struggled, but Lotor’s grip was tight, and he found himself trapped between the taller man and a tree, swearing as Lotor lowered his mouth to his throat. 

“Heard you’ve been whoring yourself out to the dance instructor,” Lotor breathed, pushing a hand under Keith’s shirt. “I think you could do a lot better than that.” 

“Stop!” Keith snapped, but Lotor had twisted one arm behind his back and had the other in a death grip. He bit at the juncture of Keith’s shoulder and neck, and forced Keith’s legs apart with his own. Keith growled, trying to free his other arm, but his shoulder twinged painfully and he yelped instead. 

“Hey, what the  _ fuck _ is going on here?” A voice split through Lotor’s mumbling and Keith’s protests, and Keith opened his eyes to see Lance standing on the path, eyes wide and steely. 

“None of your business,” Lotor purred, turning to look at Lance but keeping Keith pressed against the tree. Keith took the moment of inattention as an opportunity to shift his weight onto his right leg, and jammed his left knee up between Lotor’s as hard as he could. Lotor stumbled back, and Lance was on him, landing a punch squarely across his jaw that knocked him to the ground. 

“You sick fuck,” Lance spat, throwing the toe of his boot into Lotor’s ribcage a few times before rushing over to Keith, who had collapsed onto the dirt path, rubbing his sore shoulder and shivering. 

“Baby,” Lance murmured, “Fuck, Baby, come here.” 

Keith waited until he was safely enveloped in Lance’s arms to let out a slow, silent scream. He was past crying, just shaking violently in Lance’s arms. He was only there for a moment before Lance had to let go, kicking Lotor back down into the dirt and pressing his heel against the tall man's nose threateningly. 

“Baby?” Thudding footsteps drew near, and Keith saw Shiro running around the corner of the trail, taking in the scene. 

“What- Baby are you ok?” 

Keith nodded, already feeling better with Shiro there, and struggled to his feet. He watched as Lance took one final disgusted look at Lotor before letting his boot off of the man's face and turning to face Shiro.

“I- Sir, I wanted to say-” Shiro smiled slightly at Lance’s stammering before grabbing his shoulder with his good arm and tugging him into a tight embrace. 

“Thank you,” he said, holding the slender cuban boy close before turning to Keith. 

“Baby are you sure you’re-”

“What’s going on- Baby? Are you ok?” Adam asked, walking up to them and taking in the sight of Lotor whimpering on the dirt path and Shiro with his arm around Lance.

“I’m fine…” Keith stammered, his voice breaking. Lance’s expression collapsed from rage to devastating concern, and he ducked out from under Shiro’s arm to catch Keith up in his arms, wrapping Keith’s arm around his waist and propping him up carefully. Keith was too exhausted to be embarrassed about the display of affection, sinking into Lance and burying his head in the taller boy's collar to hide the fear he could feel still flashing across his own face. He waited just a moment for Lance’s scent and the feel of his arms to overwhelm him before he began to cry. 

“Baby-” Adam stopped, looking over at Lotor. “We’ll be talking to your uncle about you later,” He threatened. 

“Let’s get you home,” Lance said softly to Keith, who nodded and allowed himself to be guided away. “Which cabin?”

“Here, follow me,” Shiro answered quickly, stepping in front. Adam followed slowly, thinking so loudly Keith could almost hear the gears turning in his head. 

Lance deposited Keith on an armchair and patted his shoulder awkwardly before turning to go. 

“Mr. McLain, please wait,” Adam ordered and Lance froze, turning to face them with his hands clasped behind his back. 

“Baby do you want some tea? Anything to eat- are you ok?” Shiro stammered. 

Keith couldn’t answer, just looked desperately up at his brother, who gave him a fleeting hug. 

“I’ll make tea.” Shiro walked into the kitchenette, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth the way he always did when he was nervous. 

“What happened, Baby?” Adam asked gently, sitting down. “Please, Mr. McLain, take a seat.”

“Just Lance,” Lance stammered, moving towards the couch awkwardly. Keith reached out and caught his elbow as he walked by, and Lance looked down at him in surprise. 

“Is- I-”

“Ok,” Lance nodded, pulling the footstool out from under Keith’s feet and settling down beside him, wrapping a hand around his ankle and rubbing small circles into the soft side of his tendon. 

“Lance, then, what did you see?” 

Lance’s posture stiffened angrily as he answered. “Baby being fucking- sorry- Baby being uh, _bloody_ _assaulted_ \- er- rather- in a situation he clearly didn’t want to be in. I saw Lotor pulling him into the woods while I was teaching and I could tell he didn’t want to go, so I finished my class early and went to make sure he was ok. I found Lotor shoving him up against a tree so… I asked what was going on and Lotor told me to leave, but while he was distracted Baby kicked him down. I just made sure he stayed there.” 

“Sometimes the big ones don’t know to stay down,” Shiro said grimly, passing both boys and Adam a mug of tea. 

“You were in the army, right?” Lance asked. 

Shiro nodded. 

“Thank you for your service,” Lance bowed his head respectfully. “I’m afraid I haven’t made a great first impression-”

Shiro scoffed, “Kid, you just helped my brother get out of a horrific situation. I should be thanking you. And as for first impressions, I believe we are the ones who need to redeem ourselves. We judged you too harshly, too soon.” 

Adam stared fondly at Shiro for a moment before nodding. “I agree. I owe you my thanks, Lance, and an apology.” 

Lance was staring at the two men, open mouthed, and Keith, who had finally stopped shaking, reached down and rubbed the back of the other boy's neck firmly. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, and Lance shook his head, tilting his chin back so he could look up at Keith. 

“You did all the work.”

“I’d be in a much worse state right now if you hadn’t come along.” 

“I’m going to-” Lance broke off, free hand clenching into a fist, his grip on Keith’s ankle tightening. “I should have- I would have  _ killed _ him!” 

“I like you better when you’re not in prison,” Keith told him. 

“We’ll kill him at a later date, Lance,” Shiro suggested, and Lance grinned his lopsided grin. 

“I’m going up to the main house to have a chat with Coran about keeping Lotor away from the guests until a proper investigation can be made and probably after that as well,” Adam said grimly. “Baby, I’m assuming you’d like to stay here?” 

Keith nodded, tightening his grip on Lance’s shoulder. Lance squeezed his calf reassuringly.

“Takashi-” 

“I’ll come with you- unless- Lance, can you stay here? I think Baby would prefer it if someone was around?” Shiro stood up, casting a questioning look over the two men, who both nodded. 

“I’ll stay, if you’re both fine with it,” Lance replied hesitantly. 

“Please,” Shiro replied, and turned to leave. Adam hesitated a moment before he followed Shiro out the door, making an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture at Lance, who saluted him somewhat sarcastically. The moment the two men were out the door, Keith was up and sitting down on the couch, dragging Lance down on top of him, the weight of the other boy centering and grounding him. 

“I was so scared,” Lance mumbled into Keith’s collarbone. “I was so  _ furious _ .” 

Keith just nodded, nuzzling into Lance’s hair and letting the other boys breathing lull him to sleep. He napped for two hours, and when he woke up, he was curled in Lance’s lap, and Adam and Shiro were discussing the political state of Cuba with Lance. 

“So how are you affording to go to university without the support of your parents, Lance? You must be working an awful lot,” Adam asked, and Keith flinched slightly at the insensitivity of the question. 

“Adam-” Shiro said warningly. 

“No, it’s ok. I’m not going to school. I’m just teaching and… and my brother’s got me a job painting houses for the winter, so that ought to be enough to cover food and rent for now,” Lance replied. 

“That was rude of me,” Adam groaned, “I’m so sorry- I assumed-”

“No, it’s ok, worse things have been assumed of me,” Lance replied, carding his fingers through Keith’s hair absently. “Baby said you went to Stanford?” 

“I did,” Keith could practically hear Adam’s grin widening at the mention of his alma mater. 

“It’s a great school- that was my dream, actually. When we first moved to the states my siblings and I all used to talk about which big schools we were going to go to once we could afford it,” Lance laughed, and Keith clenched his fist into the boys shirt, trying to pull him closer. 

“Baby, you awake?” Lance murmured, and Keith opened his eyes to find Adam and Shiro staring at him worriedly, and Lance smiling warmly down at him, fingers still tangled in his hair. 

“No,” Keith said, curling closer, not caring what Shiro and Adam thought. 

Thankfully there was only soft laughter from the other three men. 

“Lance, would you… Would you like to go to school? If you could afford to?”

“Of course- god- I want it more than anything,” Lance blurted, then stiffened. “I mean, uh-”

“It’s alright, kid.” 

Keith fluttered his eyes open to see Adam and Shiro exchanging a glance. 

“Lance, have dinner with us tonight, will you? I know you’re organizing the show and all, but we’d appreciate your company. We have… a few more items to discuss.”

Keith could feel Lance nodding. 

“I… wow, I would be honoured.” 

*****

The look of awe on Lance’s face when Adam handed him the letter from Stanford with his tuition leveled at $0, provided he passed their entrance exam, was something Keith would remember for the rest of his life. 

“Dr. Williamson- Sir-”

“Adam.” 

“ _ Thank you _ . You’ve already done so much for me I-”

“Don’t mention it, kid, just do us proud. You’re going to have to work hard for this, but they’ll keep on full scholarship if you do well this year.” 

Lance stared down at the letter, eyes glittering as they watered. He swiped his hand across his face and smiled, reaching across the table to shake Adam and Shiro’s hands. 

They watched the show together, smiling and clapping politely at the generally unimpressive singing and dancing from the other guests, and cheering loudly at the final number choreographed by Lance and Allura. Halfway through the dance, the staff broke off into couples, reaching into the crowd to pull out some of their favourite guest, and Lance placed Allura down gingerly from her overhead lift, swirling her over to Keith’s table and into his vacated seat so she could rest. He held out his hand for Keith and crooked his fingers as he had the first night they met, pulling Keith out of his seat with laughing eyes. 

“Come on Baby, it’s a crime that you’re not out here already, trained dancer that you are,” he teased, and smiled even more delightedly when he heard Adam snort in amusement.

Lance spun Keith out onto the floor gracefully, and pulled him in close for a simple lift. As Keith whirled around, balanced on Lance’s hip, he saw Adam and Shiro both staring at them in shock, and couldn’t help but laugh as Lance placed him on the floor and pressed their foreheads together. 

“Baby,” Lance said playfully, “you’ll visit me at Stanford, right?”

“Of course,” Keith breathed, delighted that Lance even wanted to stay in touch. 

“Good. You’re not getting rid of me, you know. I’m your guy- if you want me.”

“Of course I want you,” Keith whispered, the bodies of the other staff moving around them in a (only slightly) tamer version of the dancing Keith had fallen in love with that first night at Kellermans. 

Lance didn’t reply, just lowered his lips to Keith’s and kissed him like he might never stop, there in the middle of the dining room. 


End file.
